November 9, 2009

Rough Going

Well, folks, things have become a little more complicated around here in the last few hours. While this is nothing panic-worthy, it is a bit concerning and I find that blogging and putting my words down in a tangible way helps me process the whole situation.

I should also note that the history to this situation can be found in my earlier blog entitled 32 Weeks.

For several weeks now, Jonathan has been asking me to make an appointment at the eye clinic for a routine check-up. I finally got around to it and went to see the optometrist today. The appointment was completely normal, except that they took my blood pressure. I have always had very good blood pressure readings, but this particular reading was higher than normal for me and came out to 124/79.

One high blood pressure reading would not have been of concern to me but for the fact that my fundal height was also measuring much larger than expected at our last OB appointment. For those who do not know, the combination of these symptoms can, in some cases, indicate a condition known as pre-ecclampsia which can be very serious if it is not treated.

I was mildly concerned so I called my clinic after the appointment to speak to a nurse. The nurse said that it may have been a fluke and suggested that I stop by a pharmacy later in the day to take another reading. She gave instructions that if the reading was similar to call the clinic again, as they would likely want to see me before my next scheduled appointment.

I continued on with my day and had a wonderful, relaxing lunch with Jonathan before heading out to do some shopping. On my way to the mall, I stopped by Walgreens and had the pharmacist take another blood pressure reading. Unfortunately, my blood pressure had gone up since the previous reading and was at 138/94.

I called the clinic and the nurse immediately went to find the on-call physician, since my doctor was out of the office today. The on-call doctor instructed that I should go in tomorrow to be seen.

I have to say, given all of the things that have happened over the last few weeks with this pregnancy, some of which have not been given mention in my blog, this was discouraging. Part of me feels like a little child; I want to stamp my foot and scream at the top of my lungs in frustration. Simultaneously, I want to huddle up in the corner and cry because I am afraid for myself and my baby.

I know that when this is over, it will all be worth it. The prospect of meeting my little boy and holding him in my arms is truly wonderful, but the possibility of delivering my baby much earlier than expected is equally frightening. As much as I am ready to be done with pregnancy in so many ways, I would rather be uncomfortable for weeks yet than to give birth to my little boy before he is ready.

I am not jumping to conclusions or pretending to know exactly what is going on with my body; we may or may not have answers tomorrow. Jonathan and I are hoping and praying that this whole incident was just an off day and that nothing will come of it. For those of you who are willing, we would appreciate your thoughts and prayers as we go into our appointment tomorrow. We will keep you all updated when we learn more!

Hello. My name is Alyssa and I'm married to a sweet man named Jonathan. We're building a life together with our wee ones in our farmhouse nestled in the heart of the suburbs. Through photos and words, I chronicle our lives as a family of six as we strive to get the most out of each day.